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Chavez exits with whiplash after diving play

Chavez exits with whiplash after diving play

NEW YORK -- Third baseman Eric Chavez left in the middle of a fifth-inning at-bat during Wednesday night's 5-0 loss to the Orioles with a whiplash injury and a possible concussion.

He was taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital for head and spine scans and did not make the trip to Kansas City with the team after the game.

Chavez, who seemed to be overcome with dizziness during the at-bat, suffered the injury while diving for a double off the bat of J.J. Hardy in the top half of the inning. Eduardo Nunez replaced him in the lineup and at third for the rest of the game.

"He came off the field [after the play] and said he got a little dizzy, but he was all right," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "Then when he was going through his at-bat, he got dizzy. When he stepped out, I noticed it. That's why I ran out there."

Chavez took a 1-1 pitch from Orioles starter Jake Arrieta, a called strike, stepped out of the box, and stepped back in before asking home-plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt for time. He was helped off the field and into the tunnel in the Yankees' dugout.

The Yankees are already short-handed as far as position players go, playing without outfielders Brett Gardner (right elbow) and Nick Swisher (left hamstring). Nunez, typically a reserve infielder, has been playing outfield, as well.

Girardi said after the game Wednesday that the team would likely make a move of some kind soon, but did not know which players it would involve or when it would take place.

"That hurts," Girardi said. "It's kind of hard to have 10 guys healthy in a lineup. It limits what you can do. You're asking guys to play a lot that aren't used to playing a lot, in a sense. It does limit us. That's why, at some point, I feel we're going to have to make a move here. I can't tell you what it is, but we're going to have to do something."

Chavez is hitting .290 with three homers and five RBIs in 15 games this year.